Atlanta Architecture

An in-depth look at the commercial, professional, and government building styles and contemporary designs that emerged in late-1920s Atlanta.

Having been one the most successful boomtowns of the early twentieth century, Atlanta saw a transition from a town known for its Southern charm and history to a business hub. The result is a colorful mix of antebellum restorations and modern styles.

Dr. Robert M. Craig analyzes two distinct styles emerging out of the city’s twentieth-century development between the 1920s and the 1960s—Art Deco and Modern Classic. Art Deco brought in cosmetic and theatrical elements to facades and interiors with examples like the Southern Bell Telephone Company Building, the Atlanta City Hall, and the W. W. Orr Doctors Building. Meanwhile, the Modern Classic was born out of the Public Works Administration projects of the Great Depression. Emphasizing a minimized classicism and trading artistic ornamentals for a more bureaucratic look, these buildings exemplify the style of the New Deal era as seen in the Federal Post Office, the Masonic Temple, and the public housing project of Techwood Homes.

Craig also gives past-due credit to the designers themselves like Pringle & Smith, G. Lloyd Preacher, and A. Ten Eyck Brown, who deserve to be remembered among the century’s noteworthy architects. From government offices to houses to movie theatres to retail stores, their history and features are covered in detail in this work, which adds to the resources available for historians, architects, and architectural aficionados.